NEED TO VENT

Giant Volcano Eruption Leaves 270,000 Stranded

Plumes of ash were thrown 50,000 feet into the sky.

A massive volcanic eruption has left over a quarter of a million people stranded. The eruption of Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau on Friday has grounded about 2,000 flights, with airports in the region closed for a second day. The volcano is located 90 miles from the nation’s capital, Jakarta, with the city’s main airport among those that have canceled flights, affecting the movement of 270,000 people. The airport, Soekarno-Hatta International, said flights would resume late Monday. “It was very crowded because passengers from the morning flights had piled up, while those scheduled for later departures still didn’t know what would happen,” passenger Finna told the BBC. “We were all glued to the flight information screens.” Ash was thrown almost 50,000 feet into the air, according to the meteorological agency BMKG. The latest eruption was on Sunday evening, but Indonesia’s Geological Agency said “the probability of further eruptions in the coming periods remains high.” “We ‌cannot ascertain when this ‌will end due to the dynamic weather,” Indonesia’s Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said.